In the United States, more than 131 million people, or 66% of all adults in the United States, use prescription drugs to help heal chronic conditions. Billions of dollars are spent on prescribed drugs, yet we must ask ourselves how effective medication is for any given disease. Researchers at the University of Notre Dame hope to help answer this question. Recently, a new method was discovered to enhance the effectiveness of prescribed drugs.

The method utilizes particles of silica, the main component of sand. Scientists already knew that many particles of silica come together to form a silica gel which is porous enough to retain a chemical. However, researchers discovered that when the silica gel was heated to 80 degrees Celsius, about the temperature of a cup of fresh coffee, the retained chemical traveled through the pores of the silica gel. The lab observed this when a blue dye was placed within the silica gel. After the heat was applied and the gel was left to rest, the blue dye seeped through the pores, turning the gel blue.

When scientists looked at the silica gel under a microscope, they noticed the heating process did not just cause the dye to infuse in the gel. The shape of the particles changed as well. The original particles were spheres with pores on its surface, similar to an orange. The new particles were also spheres, but instead of small pores, they had larger dye-filled globules on the surface. Additionally, the new particles were hollow and resembled a raspberry.

After seeing such results with blue dye, researchers wondered what other chemicals they could load into heated silica particles. They decided to repeat the procedure with a cancer drug to see whether the drug would remain active even after the surrounding silica particle changed. After a series of tests, the team found that the cancer drug was still active and capable of killing cancer cells.

Researchers also found that the cancer drug was more potent after the heating procedure within the silica gel. Not only did they prove more effective, but the drugs also showed fewer side effects when administered to a patient. Researchers hypothesize that increased potency stems from the fact that amine-containing drugs can speed up or slow down silica degradation. The silica can protect the drug when needed, but it can also release the drug at a targeted spot in the body.

The effectiveness of drugs is a field that will impact many people worldwide. Yet what is interesting about the technique that researchers have found is that it is not expensive. It also takes little time, and it does not require extra resources. Additional testing will be needed to see whether heated silica gels are compatible with all types of drugs. However, this method for improving the effectiveness of drugs shows promise in bringing relief to millions of people worldwide.